The Men’s Health 60-Day Transformation Versus Men’s Health Anarchy

So, I have been looking for some new workouts to do for my cardio/HIIT stuff. Something hard. If you’ve done Insanity and The Asylum, you’re in decent shape. You want something challenging and not too easy.

Found a dude on YouTube who has an entire program for free. His workouts are no slackers either. They are primarily HIIT, and he does them with you. His name is Millionaire Hoy, so go look him up. He actually has a few 90 minute workouts. Those are fun. His moves/names/everything is very reminiscent of Shawn T and Insanity.

Those are some good vids, but I also wanted to try The Men’s Health 60-Day Transformation (MH60) and the Men’s Health Anarchy workouts too. I figured Men’s Health knows a thing or two about fitness, and I was looking for a new challenge. And unbeknownst to me, Andy Speer the dude running the Anarchy workout was also our good buddy from Insanity: The Asylum 2! He’s also in the MH60 videos! That dude gets around.

My first question: is this for beginners or advanced folks? Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything about either of these programs online other than their own sites, which lack a lot of information. They do have a lot of hype and I can understand that. It sells the videos. The lack of reviews is what prompted me to write this one.

Anarchy is a 6 week plan.

MH60 is a 60 day plan.

They both claim to burn the fat off and get you cut and lean and all that bullshit. Don’t forget people, your diet is what gets you lean and cut, not your workouts. So that caveat aside, I gave them a try.

Day 1, I decided to start the MH60 first, since I bought it first. And to be honest, both programs are pretty cheap! Neither was over 50 bucks. So worth the impulse buy and investigation by me.

I will hereby say this: MH60 is a beginner plan. Fat Frying Fury video barely got a sheen on my face or body. The main coach was pretty cool. He didn’t grate on my nerves and seemed to be trying to get the energy up. The back up singers were ok too.

The workout was only 30 minutes and I wasn’t tired at all. So I stared at my TV, shrugged and pointed my hard drive to the first Anarchy video to try it out. (I rip all my workout DVDs to a portable USB drive so I can take it with me, while saving the DVDs)

Anarchy was significantly tougher. I actually got out of breath and my heart rate got up to around 162 or so a couple of times. Not too bad. It wasn’t nearly as tough as Insanity (or even the Millionaire Hoy YouTube videos) but it was markedly more difficult than the first one. Andy’s accent (not sure if it’s SoCal or NYC) kind of got on my nerves for the first few minutes, but after a while it didn’t bug me as much.

That being said, I will keep trying them out. I am pretty sure the MH60 videos are going to get considerably harder going forward. The only problem is, you’re supposed to do the first two videos (Phase 1) for like three weeks! I don’t think I can do that without some other supplemental workouts, so why do them at all? I should go ahead and move to the Phase 2 workouts now. I am hard core, right?

I will post more as I go along.

UPDATE

I’ve been doing the workouts for about three weeks now. They’re still not as taxing as Insanity or even some of the more high intensity workouts I’ve done (namely some free youtube workouts) but they have merit. I feel like the instructors really know their stuff and have a freaking plan.

I still do both workouts in one day. I don’t feel like I get any burn if I don’t.

I typically start with the MH60 videos then work my way to the Anarchy ones. If you’re a beginner, start with MH60 and stay there for a few weeks–in Phase 1. I went ahead and started Phase 2 early. It’s still not that tough, but once again, if you’re new to all this, it’s a good workout. Some of them get a little hairy toward the end.

The Anarchy videos, (there are fewer of them–but they are CHEAP–well worth the price!) are much more difficult, so are for the more advanced exerciser.

To be honest, for the price I paid on these suckers, the workouts are just fine. I feel like I am getting my money’s worth.

They only have you work out three days a week (which, if you’re fit is plenty) and I did not receive any type of diet plan with them, but I already know what to eat, but I can see how this is a good start on the road to health.

I do wonder, however, since Men’s Health aims itself at the fit man, why they don’t shoot a more advanced series. Something that will make you cry for your mother.

I will keep doing these workouts for a few more months, and will give you a final update then!

Advertisements

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

Let me know how it goes. Also, if there is any measurable way to tell whether they work or not, like losing body fat % or gaining two inches of muscle, anything like that. I’ve been curious on both, but not sure if they’re effective, primarily since I’ve done p90x and everything else seems like it might not be as tough. I dont know. Fill us in and good luck!

Hey Tom. I completely see where you’re coming from. I too recently finished P90X and P90X2 and the Insanity:The Asylum. Pretty difficult workouts.

I still have one more gear on the MH60 that I haven’t watched yet (Phase 3) but Phase 2 gives you a decent burn and gets the heart rate up. The Phase 2 Anarchy workouts really get the heart rate up fast, faster than P90X but slower than The Asylum. Also, the Anarchy workouts put some moves in them that I have never seen before!

But here’s the deal, I still do two of them in one sitting (one MH60, one anarchy). I guess Tony Horton’s got me used to working out for an hour, and I enjoy it. So they’re not terribly taxing.

To be honest with you, I really think these workouts would be good for a beginner, but if you’re a P90X grad, and looking for another hardcore challenge, these are not it.

My recommendation so far is, if you’re looking for some variety and you want some extra workouts to mix in–primarily cardio and metabolic training–then these would be a good “filler” day for something you’ve never done before.

I really agree with you on this. If they would just turn that dial up earlier on in the workout, I would me much more challenged. That’s one of the reasons I think it’s more for beginners! They keep saying “We’re going to build that foundation” etc, but if you’ve been working out for a while, you’ve already got the foundation!

Thanks for writing this! I’ve been wanting to try Anarchy, but couldn’t find any reviews. I’m two weeks from finishing Insanity Max:30 and am trying figure out my next program. I need a break from Beachbody…six weeks without a plug for an overpriced shake would be a treat. Since Andy is a familiar face (he’s also T25’s beloved band guy), thought I’d try it out. This will be my first non-Shaun T program. No pressure, Andy…no pressure. I’m curious to see how it will actually work for me, since I actually have a little bit of fat to lose compared to the people who tested this workout. The before/afters for Anarchy are just of skinny people who got more ripped.

Thanks Kerry, that’s just why I wrote it because I couldn’t find a review either.
If you can do any of the insanity workouts, anarchy will not be difficult. There aren’t a lot of videos and you do them three times a week. Poor Andy, Shaun gave him so much grief in the Asylum!
I still have quite a lot of fat left to lose, but I had no problems doing the Anarchy workouts. I actually plan on keeping them in the rotation! He does some moves I have never seen before. My only real beef is that Andy seems like he’s trying too hard to be hardcore.

I finished it a while back and have to say it’s a good plan. Maybe too limited for some folks, with it not having a lot of variety, but for the price you pay? It’s well worth it. I fit it into my other workouts now and it’s become a valuable addition. I think I can completely recommend it.

I really, REALLY enjoy this workout! I’ve done 90-day programs as well as the MH60DVD series but the Anarchy Workout is so far the most challenging for me. It easily fits into my daily schedule. I feel great and I am seeing major definition in my core, arms and legs.

If you decide to try it make sure you throw in the bonus Anarchy Abs on your off days. It’s only 15 minutes long but it burns like a mother and I have never seen better results from any other core workout I’ve tried.

Hi Jason, I’m a 40 years old obese male trying to loose lots of weight. I’ve recently come across the Body Beast Workout. Would like to ask your opinion on MH60, P90X and the Beast workout. Which should I go for first? I haven’t been exercising since .. Forever.

Hi Jason, would like to ask your opinion on MH60, P90X and the Body Beast Workout. I’m trying to decide on starting one to start loosing lots of weight. I’m 40 and obese and haven’t been exerting for a long time. Please help …

Hey Xavier, I would say start with an easy one. Heck, skip P90X and just do the P90 and build up to the P90X routine. But if you’re trying to decide between all of those workouts, I would say P90X. Body Beast is just about “getting big” and putting on muscle, not for losing weight.
MH60 is a good all-around workout and it’s WAY cheaper than the BeachBody workouts, so if money’s a factor I’d say do it first. It has a really good “ramp up” phase where you can start easy and get way harder.

I started working out right about 40 as well, and I’d never worked out before either. So I understand where you are. I’ve lost over 100 lbs (and put 30 back on 🙂 in the last three years.

But don’t forget: you’re not going to lose any weight with a workout. You don’t lose weight in the gym, you lose it in the kitchen. You need to get your food intake sorted out before you drop weight. Sure I am a huge proponent of working out and eating clean, but you can lose weight without lifting a finger. Working out does make it easier to lose weight, but if you’re still eating pizza and candy every day, you aren’t going to lose anything.

Thanks for posting this! I’ve been doing T25 Gamma, which I really like. Gamma combines the cardio and strength in super short intense, no-breaks workouts. I’m going to checkout Anarchy. Learned from the comments Andy is the band guy in T25, nice!

I buy all the videos I have and would love to know how to put them on a USB, I believe Team Beachbody will replace if one stops working, but it’d be nice not to worry about handling them so much. Do you have a post or any info on how you burned to USB?

Jason, great information. I started the Anarchy workout today. I’ve done p90X a few times ad insanity a few times as well. What I’m having trouble finding are caloric burns from this routine. I have been using Fitness Pal for years, and like to monitor my food, and enter exercise as well. This one isn’t anywhere I’ve been able to find. Have you found that? Or know if it exists?
Thank You

Hey Zuki! I like the Metashred just fine. My only problem was that it seemed (call me a sucker for punishment!) too easy in the beginning parts of each workout. Don’t get me wrong, by the end I was pushing to complete them, but it feels like they are set more for people just starting out.
However, I don’t want to discourage you from checking it out! For the PRICE, it was a really good deal. Way cheaper than beachbody workouts.
And Body Battle? Heh. Looks like fun. I like both of those trainers so would be interested in seeing what they can bring. And at what price 🙂